Explore Buncombe County

Asheville- Black Mountain-Weaverville

Worth visiting in Asheville

• Folk Art Center — home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Allanstand Craft Shop carries work from 300+ Guild member-artists. Open daily.

• Center for Craft — a national nonprofit advancing the field of craft, with a public gallery, classrooms, and coworking space. This is the same organization behind the Craft Catalyst Initiative that just named WNC a national craft hub.

• North Carolina Glass Center — River Arts District. Watch glassblowing demonstrations or take a class. Also a Craft Catalyst Initiative awardee.

• Grovewood Village — the historic site of Biltmore Industries' original weaving and woodworking operations. Now home to Grovewood Gallery, working artist studios, the Biltmore Industries Homespun Museum, and Asheville's only Antique Car Museum.

• River Arts District — a stretch of working studios where you can watch artists at their craft in real time, across nearly every medium.

Craft & culture

• Grovewood Village Studio Tour — biannual, two weekends per year (2026: first weekend May 2-3). Local artists open their studios to visitors.

• Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands — the Southern Highland Craft Guild's flagship juried show, held in Asheville.

• Black Mountain

  • Seven Sisters Gallery — downtown, representing 350+ American artists working in pottery, jewelry, glass, metalwork, woodwork, and sculpture.

  • North Carolina Glass Center (Black Mountain location) — a second location for the same glassblowing studio featured in Asheville's River Arts District.

  • Old Depot Arts and Crafts — a nonprofit gallery housed in a 100-year-old former train depot.

  • Swannanoa Valley Museum & History Center — Buncombe County's primary local history museum since 1989, with guided hikes and heritage tours.

  • Craft & culture

    • Sourwood Festival — 2nd weekend in August, ~200 vendors of authentic arts and crafts, plus honey and bee demonstrations celebrating the region's prized sourwood honey. Free admission.

  • Weaverville

    • Artisans on Main — downtown gallery and four working artist studios, featuring 30+ regional artisans across pottery, fiber art, turned wood, jewelry, and furniture.

    • Mangum Pottery — a working studio where you can watch potters at the wheel and browse the gallery out front.

    • Miya Gallery — juried gallery representing 100 local and regional artists.

    • Crucible Glassworks — glassblowing studio led by Michael Hatch.

    • Dry Ridge Historical Museum — local history exhibits at the Weaverville Community Center, open limited hours (Saturdays 10am-2pm).

    Craft & culture

    • Weaverville Art Safari — twice yearly (spring and November), a free self-guided studio tour featuring pottery, glass, sculpture, painting, and wood art.

    • Art in Autumn — September street art festival.